Moving Chicks to Open Air Coop - Bedtime Related Questions

[ojaichickadee]

First time newbie with four female chicks expected in June (blue australorp, lavender orpington, buff orpington and golden laced wyandotte) and three females expected in August (salmon favorelles):
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Where I live in Southern California, the average temp is 72 degrees, sunny, but summers/falls are very hot (dry up to 110 - hottest) and winters can get around 35 degrees at night (coldest). I feel an open air coop is the best type of coop for this part of the country, with plenty of ventilation with a 3 wall type of area for a platform with perch/windblock (I think a traditional coop would be way too hot in summer, no matter how great the ventilation). I'm getting my chicks this year in June and was thinking of some kind of brooder inside my house so I can keep an eye on them till the feathers come in. I figure they'll be ready to go in the coop outside in August, at which time they'd probably be ready to graduate to the outdoor open air coop, where the outside temps at that time are around 85-100 degrees. The super cold months are January to March. The open air coop will be under a huge shade tree, about 18'x12', 8' feet tall with a slanted reflective heat roof. The frame is a chain link dog kennel, with chain link roof, chain link floor and the whole thing also wrapped from top to bottom in 19 gauge 1/2" metal fabric. I don't have a predator apron, because the whole thing is "covered/wrapped" in the metal fabric and chain link and no digging will get a predator in, including the gophers we have everywhere. The floor will be around 4 inches of soil covering the chain link and fabric, so chickens won't be annoyed by the chain link underfoot and will have something to scratch around. I'm also putting an electric poultry fence around it. I'm planning to grow hanging and also large pots of lemon balm, lavender and mint around the run outside to help repel the flies and mosquitos. Their night perch would be three sides wood on a platform, with a ladder to walk up to it, with a poop tray filled with pdz under the perches. The nesting box: two rollaway nesting boxes with a timer, so they can't sleep/poop in it at night. There will be two sources of water and two sources of feed to avoid territory issues amongst the pecking order. My house is surrounded by trees that are filled with red shouldered hawks, red tailed hawks, coopers hawks, great horned owls, and barn owls, with the occasional daytime coyote/weasel/fox visit on the ground, so no way are they free ranging, but I was thinking they might eventually enjoy a well-constructed train that I can move around for their variety - while I'm outside to keep an eye on them. Planning on 2 sensor sprinklers and 2 outdoor cameras hooked to my iphone.
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All of the above has create the following questions:
1. Reading about training chicks to go into their lighted coop at night for bedtime, etc., how do you teach them about roosting/bedtime if there is no enclosed place to go inside to, only a roosting area with 3 sides?
2. With the amount of security I have, is there a need to teach them about roosting in the coop, or is that solely about security?
3. Will lack of an "enclosed coop" as a young chick make them more insecure/flighty, because they're out in the open? If so, what are my options?
4. I worry about predators scaring them at night (coyotes, raccoons, etc.) with an open air coop. I realize chickens can't really see in the dark, but they could probably sense them staring at them. Thoughts?
5. What if I created a coop that was 4 sides, but no roof for the privacy/fear issue? Is it needed?
6. What have I overlooked?

Bottom line: I want my chickens content and happy. I don't want them overheated and I don't want them afraid and feeling exposed.

Thank you in advance for all of your seasoned responses. I'm grateful.

 

[DobieLover]

some kind of brooder inside my house so I can keep an eye on them till the feathers come in

I would not do this. I would brood directly in their coop from day one. You may want to restrict the brooder area to a smaller area of the coop/run and not give them access to the entire space until about 2 weeks old when they will start flying around.

chain link floor

Bad idea.

4 inches of soil covering the chain link and fabric

They will dig down this far with ease and hit the chain link which could injure their feet.

how do you teach them about roosting/bedtime if there is no enclosed place to go inside to, only a roosting area with 3 sides

Instincts will guide them to the highest point to roost at night when they are ready.

With the amount of security I have, is there a need to teach them about roosting in the coop, or is that solely about security?

They will roost on their own when they are ready.

Will lack of an "enclosed coop" as a young chick make them more insecure/flighty, because they're out in the open?

No. Because of this:

I realize chickens can't really see in the dark

And the hot wire you will run will keep the predators away.

What if I created a coop that was 4 sides, but no roof for the privacy/fear issue? Is it needed?

Not needed.

You will also want to add lots of "stuff" to your run area for them to dig around, hide behind and perch on like old pallets leaning on the walls, branches secured to the run walls, old wood chairs/stools, whatever.

I would remove the chain link fence from the floor and use it for a predator apron.

 

[ojaichickadee]

Thank you for your wisdom. So the hardware mesh is OK on the ground, but not the chain-link, right? Would I be better off with a concrete slab and a ton of dirt on top instead? I have a lot of predators around here. I’m concerned that hardware cloth is not going to be enough. Not even with an apron. The coyote packs around here use my yard of the freeway. I have to have an ultimate ultimate predator proof run.

 

[DobieLover]

So the hardware mesh is OK on the ground, but not the chain-link, right?

No type of wire mesh should be on the floor of the run. They will dig down to it. And you do not want them hitting that with their feet. That is why a predator apron is so much more appropriate for protecting the run.
Between the hardware cloth over the chain link fence walls of the run, the hot wires and adding the predator apron you're not going to have any problems with predators! That's basically what I have and I have never had a ground predator gain access to my setup.

 

[ojaichickadee]

That won't work for my yard. I have gophers gophers gophers. If I don't have something down there, I'm going to have gophers in my chicken pen, then snakes can get through, or worse, through those tunnels. I think I may need concrete then.

 

[SB907]

I live near you in Santa Barbara and have been very successful with a 3-sided coop (although these past few weeks, I have hung tarps and plywood to enclose things a bit more, I have silkies that are a little more sensitive to cold and it's been cold!). I brooded in the house for the first week, and then moved them to my porch in big plastic dog crate with perches and their mama heat pad. At night, if it was warm enough, I'd leave them out and if it was too cold I would move them into the house.

They feathered in faster than their siblings that were brooded fully indoors, and were outside full-time by about 4 weeks old (which was late April). They had no problems figuring out the roosting thing and don't seem to be too spooked by noises at night, but they are also not very predator-savvy. If anything I think the open air design makes them less flighty since they are more used to noises and they can see their surroundings a little better.

 

[ojaichickadee]

SB907, thank you. How do you predator proof? Do you have a lot of coyotes near you? I have a pack of 5 running through my yard day and night and raccoons, weasels, skunks, possums, owls, hawks, etc. I don't want to take a chance on a stubborn predator getting through. I have several friends who have had predator skirts and determined raccoons still dug their way in and killed their entire flocks. I also have gophers, so I can't leave it as just dirt in the middle - it's either going to be concrete or dig a huge pit that is 2 feet deep, line it with chain link and 1/2" fabric, connect it to the sides of my dog run/coop and bury the whole thing with dirt. What choice do I have?

 

[Pipica]

SB907, thank you. How do you predator proof? Do you have a lot of coyotes near you? I have a pack of 5 running through my yard day and night and raccoons, weasels, skunks, possums, owls, hawks, etc. I don't want to take a chance on a stubborn predator getting through. I have several friends who have had predator skirts and determined raccoons still dug their way in and killed their entire flocks. I also have gophers, so I can't leave it as just dirt in the middle - it's either going to be concrete or dig a huge pit that is 2 feet deep, line it with chain link and 1/2" fabric, connect it to the sides of my dog run/coop and bury the whole thing with dirt. What choice do I have?

I have 30 by 12 run that was dug out 18in (completely) and lined up with galvanized 1/2in coated wire . Run is 7ft at the highest point and literally wrapped up in the same wire. It was little more work and money but it was well worth (to me) . No regrets .

 

[ojaichickadee]

Stupid question, but what do you mean by "dug out 18in completely"? Thanks.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

Stupid question, but what do you mean by "dug out 18in completely"? Thanks.

I think they mean that they dug down 18" to put hardware cloth down there with at least 18" of bedding on top?